Bhubaneswar: In a path-breaking decision towards women empowerment and inclusive sanitation, the Odisha government on Friday handed over Operation and Maintenance (O&M) of four Septage Treatment Plants (SeTPs) to self-Help Groups (SHGs) run by women and transgender.
The treatment facilities were handed over to women SHGs in Berhampur, Baripada and Sambalpur and to a transgender SHG in Cuttack through a contract agreement signed between the SHGs and the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) at an event presided over by Panchayati Raj, Housing and Urban Development Minister, Pratap Jena, held through video conference.
Speaking on the occasion, Jena said, SHGs are now at the forefront of all development activities including sanitation in Odisha and have proven their ability time and again.